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Social media helps drive Idle No More movement

Idle No More and its rise have been driven by social media, a place where anyone — no matter how physically isolated they are — can participate in discussion

Social media helped to spread the world of Idle No More, particularly among young people, ensuring the protest went national and international. Protestors are seen here at the Eaton Centre in December. (STEVE RUSSELL / TORONTO STAR) | Order this photo

After taking over the intersection of Yonge and Dundas December 21, Idle No More protesters moved over to the Square to continue their protest. (STEVE RUSSELL / TORONTO STAR) | Order this photo

It started small, with about 100 people at a rally in Saskatoon, and has grown into a political protest that has spread across Canada and into the national political discussion.

Idle No More and its rise have been driven by social media, a place where anyone — no matter how physically isolated they are — can participate in discussion and follow news if they have an Internet connection or smartphone.

Erica Lee, 22, is a University of Saskatchewan student who has been an activist for most of her life. People like Lee, young and tech-savvy, are the face of this movement. And social media is the tool that’s allowing them to speak, she said.

“Traditionally, it’s the chiefs and the people in power that have the ability to speak to the media, whereas now, people like me — university students who have been involved in this kind of stuff — are getting interviewed,” Lee said.

“Social media allows the people who are actually directly involved and impacted by these kinds of movements . . . to have their voices heard.”

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Lee was at that small protest in November that’s credited with starting Idle No More. Her involvement has spread online, where she manages the Idle No More Facebook page.

“It gives (people), especially in northern communities and rural First Nations communities, a chance to be connected with events and be inspired by other peoples’ events that they might not have access to, that they aren’t seeing on TV and in newspapers,” Lee said.

The Facebook page started Nov. 29 and now has more than 63,000 likes and photos from protests and rallies all over the world.

The same day the Facebook page was born, Tanya Kappo was trying to figure out a way to help people in far-flung First Nations communities follow her teach-in on Louis Bull First Nation, just south of Edmonton.

In that message, she included a hashtag — #idlenomore — that has since been used hundreds of thousands of times on Twitter, and in the process has created a central place to follow and spread news from Idle No More.

“It really evolved into a conversation on Twitter amongst anyone and everyone who’s interested in (Idle No More),” said Kappo, who lives in Edmonton.

“It continues to play an important role in getting the information out and building momentum.”

On Dec. 10, protests and rallies took places across Canada as part of the “Idle No More Day of Solidarity” gave the #idlenomore hashtag a dramatic spike in popularity. It was mentioned in 11,416 tweets that day, Makook reports.

Twitter activity took off on Dec. 21, another day of protests across the country, with nearly 40,000 mentions of #idlenomore.

Ron Stagg, a history professor at Ryerson University, says social media has helped First Nations groups bridge some of the divisions that, in the past, prevented the unity needed for mass protest.

“(Issues) were seen as local issues rather than national issues. What this group has done with social media is to make (them) into a national issue. In fact, it’s even international,” he said.

“This is one way people can get together.”

Joanne St. Lewis, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, said Idle No More has been the most focused use of social media in aboriginal activism. And while youth may not have started Idle No More, they’re the people that have “captured” the movement, she said.

While social media has made it easier for many to participate in Idle No More, it’s taking that involvement offline that could determine how long it lasts.

“The digital divide that exists between First Nations people in Canada and those of us who are living in urban areas is huge.

“Because of that digital divide, no doubt there are hundreds of thousands of First Nations people . . . who are not expressing themselves through social media.”

Lee, who fact-checks everything posted on the Idle No More Facebook page, knows there will always be people social media can’t reach. She said people involved in Idle No More must “be careful that we’re not just relying on social media.”

The benefit First Nations communities have is they tend to have strong community bonds and more connected families, Lee said.

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